Jasico, I Choose You!
by spaghedward
Summary: Nico, a sweet but neurotic teenager, is a trainer starting out on his journey to become a Pokémon master. As per tradition, he'll make some lifelong friends, capture animals and make them fight each other, collect eight trinkets, and inadvertently ruin a terrorist cell's plans at world domination. Oh, and find love with the strapping, dorky young gym leader from Zeus City.


"Houndour, use Ember!"

Hot, orange balls of flame zipped through the air, smacking the dark grey and pink bird Pokémon in rapid succession. Nico threw his last Pokéball and -_SLAM_- the tiny bird disappeared into a stream of red light. The ball wiggled a few times before stopping with a satisfying _hm_. Nico threw his arms up in delight and surprise, shoulders and elbows flailing in all directions.

"We did it, Houndour! We actually did it," Nico's voice trailed off into a whisper as his dog stared and seemingly smiled back at him. Nico withdrew Houndour in another stream of red light as he took out his now beeping Pokédex. _Vullaby-the Diapered Pokémon..._Nico's mind wandered as the device's tinny voice described his new catch.

Finally, something going right! Nico had been on his journey for 2 days, 6 hours, 38 minutes, and 14 seconds. About 2 days, 6 hours, 37 minutes, and 58 seconds of it had been disastrous.

Hazel, his father, and his stepmother Penelope were shocked when he had announced that he'd be leaving on a journey After a traumatic episode with a violent Pokémon when he was a child, Nico had-understandably-lost any and all enthusiasm for being a trainer. Though obviously taken aback, all three had been supportive.

As Hazel and his father were themselves set to leave-on Gym duties and business, respectively-the next day, Penelope offered to go with him to Professor Chiron's lab. He declined. Their relationship, though rocky at times, had found a pleasant patch in the past few months. Still, Nico decided that this was something he had to do on his own.

Nico arrived at the lab the next morning. One by one, Nico terrified-or was attacked by-the available starters. A Piplup cried-_loudly_-the second it was released from its ball until Nico left the room. Chimchar stared warily at Nico until it smacked him across the face as he tried to approach in a crouch. Professor Chiron withdrew Chimchar before Nico's head hit the ground. Upon regaining consciousness, Nico got off to a good start with Turtwig. When he reached to pet it, however, it clamped its mouth around Nico's fingers.

The resulting string of vulgarities had even Professor Chiron reaching for a dictionary.

Nico left for home quickly after that, face turning red even as the professor apologized profusely. Nico did grab a Pokédex on the way out. He figured if he couldn't interact with them, he could at least learn about Pokémon. Chiron told him to try again next week, maybe the starters from Kalos would like him better. Nico's face stopped burning just as he got home.

_Plop_. Sprawling onto his bed, Nico _zipped_ and _beeped_ his way through the Pokédex. Somewhere between reading about Fairy types and the dangers of Rare Candy abuse, he passed out into a fitful sleep.

_Garchomp raged and slashed about. Nico could do nothing but stare._

Nico shot up, wide eyes meeting Penelope's. "Sorry to disturb," she began, "I didn't want to intrude, but I just wanted to be sure you were ok." Nico willed his breathing slower. His gaze dropped to the floor.

"Do you have a Pokéball in your hand?" he asked.

Penelope nodded, "I do, it's from your grandmother. My mother," she continued as Nico's eyes clouded momentarily in confusion. "I know it's strange for you to think of her as a grandmother, but you and I have been in each other's lives long enough, right? Anyhow, one of her farm dogs had a litter with the neighbor's Granbull, and she sent one here. I figured it'd be perfect for you," she finished as she released the Houndour.

Nico reached out, hand meeting Houndour right where its fur looks like a skull. The puppy whimpered and leaned into his touch. Huh.

"See? It's a match!" Her mouth curled slightly into her knowing smile. Nico locked eyes with her. Nico always remembered how smart, how perceptive she was when he focused on her eyes. Always scanning, always taking in information. "Nico, also," she nodded her head toward the other side of the room. A beautiful, top-of-the-line black hiking backpack stuffed with supplies was leaning against the wall next to the door frame. Waiting.

"This isn't meant to be a gesture to push you out, but I need you to know: the world's ready for you if you're ready for it."

Here Nico was-two Pokémon on his belt on his way to his first gym. He couldn't believe it. Nico di Angelo was actually on his freakin' become-a-Pokémon-master journey. He wanted to congratulate himself for being brave and berate himself for being stupid. Still, with night coming slowly but surely, he pulled out his map. If his orienteering was right-which, considering the past two days of wandering, getting lost, and getting mugged by various seemingly adorable Pokémon, was unlikely-Nico was about five miles due south of Zeus City. He'd make it there by dark, easy.

As Nico plodded north, he started thinking about Jason Grace, Zeus City's gym leader. Even though he'd never been a trainer, having a gym leader sister had its perks. Hazel always took Nico as her plus one to the annual Pokémon League holiday party. Last December's had been Jason's first. Hazel and he had studied at the same gym leader program, and they started catching up-loudly and with many hugs-the second they saw each other. When Hazel had rushed off when Frank got to the party, Nico and Jason had been forced to make small talk. Jason was six feet-and one inch!-of pure dream boat: blonde, blue-eyed, built, polite, charming, and so incredibly, so infuriatingly earnest. Jason had actually asked Nico why he wasn't a trainer and cared about his response. When Nico trailed off into talking about working for his dad, Jason listened intently, even making silly jokes about his own father. Eventually, the two got split up as Hazel came back, and Jason was called away to be presented as the newest gym leader to the Clasico Region's high society.

At the end of the night, Jason scooted and slipped and lightly shoved his way through the crowd to say goodbye to Nico. Jason, slightly tipsy unbeknownst to Nico, hugged him and made him promise to come to Zeus City if he ever decided to become a trainer. Nico had nodded quickly, ears reddening as Hazel giggled and led him to the car outside.

Nico popped out of his daydream when he noticed something he hadn't seen in two days: roofs! In the distance, he could see the outer suburbs of Zeus City. He started running. Nico made it to the Pokémon Center just as the sun was starting to set. He got his two-two!-Pokémon healed up and settled into one of the journeyers' cots set up in the back of the center.

Tomorrow morning: his first gym battle!

Nico jogged up the front steps of Jupiter Hall: lines of tourists were already forming on the other side of the building. When the city-states of Clasico had formed a federation over a hundred years ago, Zeus City became its capital, and Jupiter Hall was built to be both its Senate Building and Pokémon Gym. White marble on white marble on white marble, Jupiter Hall was any classical lover's wet dream come to life.

As he passed through the front door, security gates, and information area, Nico was doing his best to keep calm. He had slept lightly the night before and got up at the crack of dawn to train with Houndour and Vullaby. Nico knew them and their attacks much better by the time Jupiter Hall opened its doors. Still, this was his first ever gym battle-his first ever battle now that he thought about it.

_Ding!_ Nico snapped into focus as he exited the elevator onto the battle floor. In a fitted purple shirt and a pair of jeans that had apparently been sewn onto his body, Jason was as good and strong-looking as Nico had remembered. With a marble backdrop of carved frescoes of conquering kings and queens of Zeus City history, he looked downright intimidating. "Nico! I'm so glad you're here," Jason's smile rang through his voice. "I'm hoping that I'm your first stop to becoming a Pokémon Master?" he teased good-naturedly.

"Uh, hi, Jason," was all Nico said until he realized a beat too late that he was supposed to say more, "Oh, and, yeah, this, this is my first gym battle."

"Excellent." Jason stepped toward eight slightly protruding tiles, labelled in Roman Numerals, on the wall to his left. He pressed the box marked**I** and lifted three Pokéballs out. Jason stepped back toward the center of his side of the battle floor. "Alright, since you have no badges, I'll be using this set of Pokémon. Here at the Zeus City Gym, we use Pokémon of the sky! Electric and flying types. If you defeat me, you'll have your very first badge and have seven more to go before you qualify for the League. Are you ready, Nico?"

"Yeah. Le-let's do it. Houndour, go!"

"Let's go, Shinx!" Jason's beast was a little cat, with black fur on its hind legs, light blue fur on its fore legs and face, with yellow bits of fur here and there. Nico's Houndour launched a volley of embers, smacking Shinx in the face. Jason commanded Shinx to get in close to Houndour. Shinx was nimble, quickly launching a double kick into Houndour's body. Houndour took the hits hard, gasping for breath after.

"Use Beat Up! Quick!" Houndour started wailing with its paws. With Shinx so close, it took the brunt of the hits directly to the face. Shinx was down for the count.

"Excellent, excellent job, Nico! Shinx, you did great. Now, Starly!" A little, flapping grey and black bird took Shinx's spot on the battlefield.

Nico was surprised to find himself sweating. He hadn't noticed how focused and tense his mind and body had been. "Thanks, Jason! I'm switching, too. Vullaby, you're up!" Jason's Starly and his Vullaby were a study in contrasts: Starly was athletic and nimble, Vullaby squat and bulky. Starly dove quickly, striking Vullaby once-twice-three times. Already scratched up, Vullaby still looked ready to battle. "Wait for your chance, Vullaby!" Starly kept diving and striking, diving and striking until _woosh-thump_ Vullaby's thick legs launched it in the air, landing on Starly and dragging them both to the ground. Starly squawked, trapped beneath Vullaby's weight. "Use Pluck!" Nico called, and Vullaby went to town. Starly was knocked out and quickly withdrawn.

"I'm impressed, Nico. But you're not getting this badge so easily! Emolga, it's up to you!" A black, white, and yellow flying squirrel glided into the air. "Thunderbolt!" A blazing, yellow bolt crashed into Vullaby, zapping it.

"Vullaby, quick, use Gust to knock it away!" Vullaby didn't respond, simply twitching and jerking where it stood. "Uh-oh," Nico muttered as Emolga launched another attack, knocking Vullaby out. Nico withdrew his fainted bird. "Houndour, it's up to you!" Beaten but not broken, Houndour launched out of its ball and let loose a spray of embers. Emolga dodged and shot a bolt at its enemy. Houndour dodged in turn. The two kept exchanging blasts, dipping and dodging. Emolga dipped too far low. Nico yelled, "Ice Fang, now!" Houndour's mouth, normally blazing with heat, glazed over as its teeth seemed to grow with a sheath of sharp ice. Houndour sank its newly extended fangs into Emolga's tail, causing it to fall. "Finish up with Beat Up!" Houndour smashed its paws, knocking out Emolga. "Pokemon of the sky can't do much when grounded, Jason," Nico let out with a smirk, followed by, "Wait, oh my god. I won? I...I wo-I WON?!" Nico ran out to hug Houndour, who (freezingly) licked his face in excitement.

Jason withdrew Emolga and smiled at the scene before him. "Congratulations, Nico: you've won your Olympus Badge!" Nico didn't respond, instead still playing with and praising and congratulating Houndour. Eventually, he withdrew his dog and walked toward Jason.

"Th-thank you, so, so much, Jason! That was a really great match."

Jason handed Nico a tiny, eagle shaped pin in electric yellow. Nico took his well-earned badge so tentatively, as if it might shock him. "So, I'm busy battling challengers until we close at 5 today, but I would love to properly congratulate my friend on his first badge. Are you still going to be in town tonight?"

Jason couldn't believe how excited he was when he saw Nico come out of the challenger elevator. And he couldn't believe how good Nico was! Jason had fond memories of good conversation at a party, but seeing Nico battle was incredible and something else entirely. Nico was a smart, adaptive trainer who, clearly understood and cared for his Pokémon.

If Jason had learned anything from his years of observing and battling other trainers, it was that good trainers treated their Pokémon in the way that they themselves need to be treated. Jason was sure that that applied to Nico, too. Which meant that beneath the layers of shy and stuttery, snarky and incisive, and what Jason could only describe as _issues_, Nico probably just needed someone to understand and care for him.

They'd made plans to meet up for dinner. Jason couldn't wait. But, alas, duty called. He battled six more trainers that day-three who lost, two who beat him, and one girl who'd lost last week but came back today and beat him! Jason loved those kind of trainers-they had tenacity and clearly were in it to learn and improve.

Clasico had more than ten gyms that trainers could earn a badge from, and the roughly round shape of the region meant that there was no "traditional" order for trainers to challenge gym leaders. Except for the Bellona Gym: it was on the way to the Pokémon League, so most trainers battled there last.

Jason made his way up the stairs into the apartment above the gym. He heard the becoming-familiar thrum and bumps of Thalia's music and her attempts at cooking. Jason had taken over all gym leadership responsibilities a little over a year ago when Thalia had decided that she wanted to travel and see the world. Which Jason found out about via text message. A week after Thalia had already left.

About a month ago, Thalia showed up on his doorstep, with a cooler haircut and dye-job than she'd left with, three new tattoos, two new piercings, and a new team of Pokémon. He'd been jealous and resentful at times but couldn't really stay mad the second he saw her again.

"Waddup, Kid?" Thalia said, throwing her arms in a hug around him. "I got some chicken, pasta, and veggies on, if you're hungry." Jason had grown from utterly shocked to utterly thankful for the domestic skills that Thalia had, ironically, learned during her travels. He hadn't been this well fed and taken care of since his days at the gym leader program.

"I have plans, actually."

"Jason Grace-goin' out on a school night? A girl leaves town for a year, and everything goes to shit."

"Ha-ha, Thalia. I'm grabbing dinner with Nico di Angelo-Hazel's brother?"

"Cool, coo-wait, Nico? Is a trainer? Oh, wow. Okay."

"Why so surprised?"

"Uh, there was this thing. We were kids, you were off doing your fancy gym-training, or whatever Dad sends his wanted children to."

"Thalia!"

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding. Kind of. Anyway, where are you going to dinner?"

"There's that new Japanese-fusion place that's supposed to be pretty good. We have reservations for 8."

"8? Come on, Kid. You're eating now and eating later. You're a growing boy."

"Fine, fine."

"And, to be fair, does Japanese-fusion even keep you full for longer than the trip home?"

"You found the place okay?" Jason asked. Zeus City was built on a grid, but it was still one of the more confusing cities to get around on foot or public transport in Clasico.

"I did, I did, yeah. Stopped by the Mart, picked up some supplies, hit up the Center, too. Just getting ready for the road, y'know?"

"Ha, I don't actually. Never travelled before. Well, never travelled on a journey before."

That got the ball of conversation rolling quickly. Jason was quick to open up, and Nico followed suit. They swapped stories about Hazel-Yes, she's always that incredibly sweet. No, you don't ever want to get on her bad side. Conversation drifted from Hazel to Thalia-Nico'd met her when they were kids, actually-Yes, she's always that much of a smartass. No, I haven't met anyone who was on her bad side and lived to tell about it. Topics kept coming up, from what running a gym was like to what travelling was like. By the end of the night, both boys were full of carnitas ramen as well as conversation.

"So, you've never wanted to go on a journey? Wake up everyday and just think 'Where to next?' Never?" Nico asked on the walk home.

"I have-pipe dream, really. Someone's gotta hold down the fort," Jason waited a beat, "Or, well, gym as it were. Or-well, Ministry of Truth or whatever."

"Was that a joke, Jason? Please tell me that wasn't an attempt at humor. An Orwell reference? It doesn't even make sense! Come on!"

Jason just shook his head then offered to put Nico up for the night, but Nico declined. "One night in a real bed, and I'd never get seven more badges, y'know?" he joked. "Then I'd be the one holding down gym-forts." So, Jason walked Nico to and dropped him off at the Pokémon Center.

"If you don't leave town until after 9, come by the gym, alright?"

Jason did his best to creep silently back into the apartment. "I'm up, Kid. You're good."

"Hey, what're you doing up?"

"Gotta make sure you're fed-you gotta be hungry after Japanese-fusion. "

"I'm fine, Thal. I promise."

"Ok, ok. I also gotta make sure you don't sneak off on some crazy half-baked notion of travelling the world."

"Nice try. Last I checked, you're the impulsive one who can't stick around in one place to save her life."

"Last I checked, you're the stir-crazy one who's been jonesing for freedom since he was 8."

"Yiikes. I'm not doing this at midnight on a _school night_, ok?"

"Sorry-that wasn't supposed to be a jab at you. Uhh, what I'm actually trying to say is I wanna talk to you." There was a beat of silence.

"Thalia?"

"What's keeping you back, Kid? What's keeping you here? And if you say me, I'll be both touched and incredibly insulted."

"I can't, ok? I have a life here. I have responsibilities here. I gotta run the gym and train the Pokémon. I gotta...huh."

"And?"

"And, and, well, keeping this place going isn't easy."

"And I'm not saying it is-what I am saying is that it's something I can do. Better now, even. Really. If you hadn't noticed, travelling's made an honest, hard-working woman out of me. Could do the same for you."

"Thal..."

"I'm serious, Kid. Just sleep on it, ok?"

"Ok. I'm going to bed. Good night?"

"Night, Kid."

The next morning, Thalia knocked on Jason's door. "Kid, what're you feeling for breakfast? Pancakes? I hope you're feeling pancakes...Kid?" Thalia smirked and pushed Jason's door open. The room was half-stripped, the closet a bit emptier, the sheets off the mattress and folded neatly on the corner. Thalia spied a piece of paper on the desk. It was in Jason's neat blocky script.

_Thalia, you're right. You're so, so right. Pokémon of the sky, right? That's what we do. I gotta see more of the sky, more of the world. I love you. -Kid_

"Waaaaa...aaaa.a.a. ..iiiit!" Hearing yelling coming from behind, Nico turned around to see a yellow-topped purple dot increasing in size and barrelling straight at him. In fifteen seconds, a huffing and sweaty Jason Grace was at Nico's side. Jason threw up his index finger as he doubled over, asking Nico to wait. Jason got ahold of himself.

"Where to next?"


End file.
